Material handling apparatus



Aug. 30, 1938. c. s. JOHNSON 2,123,778

A MATERIAL HANDLING APPARATUS Filed June 9, 1957 s Sheets-Sheet "1 Char/es Jgjoh'n on a A Ahg. 30, 1938. c. s. JOHNSON 2,128,773

MATERIAL HANDLING APPARATUS Filed June 9, 1937 s Sheets$heet 2 INVEL' TQQL Char/es SQ/oh son cflTT w p Au 1938- I c. s. JOHNSON 2,123,778

MATERIAL HANDLING APPARATUS.

Filed June 9, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Chm/es S (fa/71750)! m f $1 mTToquzys Patented Aug. 30, 1938 UNITED STATES 'r'r oFFieE MATERIAL HANDLINGAPPARAT'US Charless. Johnson, Champaign, 111. Application June 9,1937, Serial No. 147,172

Claims.

set of tackles may be readily used for different services such as moving and operating any one of a series of selectively available containers such as clamshell buckets, tank buckets, and the like, all without the necessity of unreeving the tackles or making other complicated and time-consuming adjustments.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide an improved form of demountable attachment head for detachably securing material handling buckets or containers to associated operating and hoisting tackles.

Another object of the invention is to provide in an apparatus of the type set forth a detachable connection between the container and associated tackles in which no removable pins or separate parts are used, thus obviating the possibility of their being misplaced or lost.

The invention also resides in the novel form of locking mechanism embodied in the demountable attachment head.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds and the features of novelty Figure l is an end elevation of a material handling apparatus embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the apparatus shown in Fig. l but with the trolley mechanism omitted and the bucket in open position.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged side elevation of the attachment head and associated tackle pulleys with a portion of the head brokenaway to illustrate its interior construction.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail sectional view along the line 44 in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the attachment head and its associated parts.

Fig. 6 is a detail plan view of the attachment head included in the apparatus shown in Figs. 1 and 2, certain of the parts being sectioned along the line 6-6 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the attachment headapplied to a tank-type bucket for cement or the like.

For purposes of illustration and explanation of its various features, the invention has been shown herein as embodied in a material handling apparatus which may be used for conveying bulk construction materials of various types such, for example, as sand, gravel, and crushed rock. This apparatu includes as its principal elements a material container illustrated as a clamshell bucket it, a lowering and hoisting tackle H, a container operating and hoisting tacle i2, and a novel form of attachment head M for detachably connecting the bucket It to the associated tackle rigging.

The clamshell bucket i0 is of conventional form and includes a pair of scoop-shaped shells i5 pivotally connected by a shaft l6 passing through a counterweight and pivot casting H. The outer ends of the shells l5 are supported for opening and closing movement by rigid arms I8 pivoted at their lower ends on the outer portions of the shells as indicated at I!) and at their upper ends on the attachment head it as indicated at 2!]. It will be understood that a digging-type tackle-operated clamshell bucket or other form of material grasping container may be utilized if desired.

The associated cable rigging for the bucket Ii] has been illustrated as of the well known fourline type although other cable arrangements such as a two-line type may be substituted if desired. In the rigging illustrated, the bucket it may be held or lowered in open position by the tackle M including a hoist-and-lower-open cable 2i, as well as closed and hoisted in closed position by the tackle 52 including a close-and-hoistclosed cable 22. These cables 2! and 22 extend downwardly from suitable pulleys 23 on a trolley 2t, which may be mounted for traversing movement on a horizontal I-beam track 25. One end 2i of the cable M is anchored while the other end passes over a suitable power actuated cable drum (not shown), the bight of the cable being reeved through a block or pulley 26 fast on. the head M. Similarly, one end 22 of the cable 22 is anchored while the other end passes over a second power actuated cable drum (not shown) and the bight of this cable is reeved through blocks or pulleys 2'3 and 28 fast respectively on the head Ml and bucket it]. It will be noted that the lower pulley 28 is detachably secured to the bucket casting ll by a demountable connection designated generally by the numeral 29.

In lowering the bucket 18 in open position, the cable 22 is slacked off to permit the bucket shells to open by gravital downward movement of the heavy pivot casting or counterweight H and the bucket is then lowered by unreeling the cable 2i. Having been thus lowered in open position on the top of a pile of material, the bucket is caused to close and scoop up'a load of the material by reeling in the cable 22, thereby raising the block 28 until it approaches the associated upper block 21 whereupon further reeling in of the cable 22 will cause the loaded bucket to be hoisted. The trolley 24 and its associated mechanism may be traversed along the track 25 by suitable traversing cables 38 and 3| or otherwise moved or handled as desired. The operation so far described is that had with ordinary four-line clamshell buckets and consequently, it is not believed to require further detail.

In order to facilitate ready detachment of the bucket I from the associated tackle rigging, the head I4 is constructed in two separable headsections 32 and 33 which are demountable and may be detachably locked together as'a unitary structure. All of the tackleconnections to the head are made to onehead-s'ection and all of the container connections to the head are made to the other head-section. It will thus be seen that in general the tackle rigging may be disconnected as a unit from the bucket by simply detaching the two head-sections 32 and 33 and connection 23, thus obviating the necessity of unreeving the tackles.

In the preferred construction illustrated, the head-section 32 is generally cylindrical in shape While the associated head-section 33 is annular and fits about the first section in telescoping relation. Each of the head-sections is preferably made in the form of a heavy metal casting. An upper end wall 34 of the cylindrical head-section 32 forms a support to which the pulley or block 28 is rigidly secured (Figs. 3 and 6). This end Wall 34 also supports a pair of roller-type guides 35 for the cable 22. In addition, the head-section 32 constitutes a protective housing and support for the upper pulley 27 of the container operating tackle, this pulley being journaled within the hollow head-section on a shaft 36. 'The annular outer head-section 33'is provided with a central opening 3? of ample diameter to permit the pulley 28 to passfreely therethrough when the headsections are disconnected. A pivotal support for the upper ends of the bucket arms i8 is formed by laterally projecting trunnions 25 positioned on the sides of this head-section 33. V

' A rugged, strong, and easily manipulable connection between the head-sectionsr32. and 33 is formed by suitable interfitting projections thereon which are adapted to be moved into and out of engagement by a relative rotational movement of the head-sections (Fig. 3). Thus, heavy upstanding bifurcated lugs or projections 38 are formed on the annular head-section 33 at diametrically opposed points thereon, these projections presenting grooves or notches 39 ontheir inner faces which are adapted to receive comple mental projections on the inner head-section 32. These latter projections on the head-section 32 are illustrated in the form of lugs 43 on an annular integral collar 4| extending about the lower end of the inner head-section, Upon reference to Fig. 5, it will be seen that the axial width of the collar 4| is increased at the points at which the lugs 40 are formed so that the latter fit snugly within the grooves 39. when aligned therewith. On.

are rotated with respect to each other through an angle of, say, ninety degrees, the lugs 40 are moved out of engagement with the grooves 38 so thatthe head-sections may be moved out of engagement (Fig. Undue strain on the interfitting lugs 38--4l when the bucket 18 is hoisted in loaded condition is'obviated by the direct connection between the head-section 32 and pulley 21. Thus, the strain on the tackle l2 does not have to be borne by the lugs 38-48 but is transmitted directly to the upper head-section 32 rather than through the lower head-section 33 to the upper head-section.

Locking of the head-sections in assembled relation to prevent a disengaging movement thereof is effected by a pair of manually operable bell crank levers 42 pivoted on laterally projecting ears 43 on the head-section 32. When in their lowered position (Fig. 3), the lower ends 43 of these bell crank levers 42 enter slots 38 in the lugs'38 preventing rotation ofthe lower headsection 33 with respect to the head-section 32.

The demountable connection 29 between the tackle pulley 28 and bucket counterweight ll includes a plurality of interfitting projections which maybe releasablylocked in engaged position. Thus, upon reference to Figs. 3 and 4, it will be seenthat a pair of laterally extending segmental shaped ears $4 on bracket 45 of pulley 23 fit within a complemental annular recess 46 in the top of the casting ll. Segmental projections 41 on the casting ll overlie a portion of the top of the recess 46 so that when the ears 44 are disposed beneath these projections (as shown in Fig. 4), the parts are locked in engagement,

but they may be readily separated upon rotating releasably preventing "relative rotation between the interlocking parts.

In the construction illustrated, the separable elements of the attachment head l4, as well as of the demountable pulley connection 29 are releasably secured together by devices which include only cooperating parts which ar permanently secured to their respective associated elemerits. Thus, no separate slip-pins, bolts, or the like are included. Such an arrangement in which none of the attachment parts can be isolated from the main elements is particularly advantageous as-it prevents vexatious delays due to losing or'misplacing such partsa a In the operation of the apparatus described above, if it is desired to detach the clamshell bucket 10, in order to substitute anothentype of container or for any other reason, this operation may be quickly and easily performed without the necessity of changing the reeving of the associated tackle rigging. Thus, thepulley 28 is detached from the bucket, and the head-sections 32 and 33 are disengaged. Detachment of the pulley 28 is efiected by releasing the latch 48 and then rotating the pulley 28 relative to the bucket through an arc of approximately ninety degrees to disengage the ears 44 from the projections 41. The operator may then disconnect the head-sections by grasping the bell crank levers 42 and swinging them upwardly to disengage their lower ends from the bifurcated lugs 38 and subsequent- 'ly twisting the head-section 32 by means of the lever handles to rotate the lugs 48 out of engagement with the grooves 39. The detaching operation is thus quickly and easily performed without material alterations in the arrangement of the associated apparatus and at the same time, the construction is such as to preclude accidental disengagement of the parts in the course of opertion. Moreover, as was previously noted, the possibility of loss of any of the attachment parts is also precluded.

In the event that it is desired to utilize a different container of the same or a different type, it may be'readily attached to the same tackle mechanism. For example, it may be desired to utilize the tackle mechanism for'purely hoistingpurposes as distinguished from operating a material grasping container such as that described above. Thus, in Fig. 7, a cylindrical metal bucket 49 has been illustrated such as is used for conveying quantities of .cement and the like. This bucket is provided with an attachment head-section 33 which is substantially identical in construction with the head-section 33 described above except that it is provided with laterally extending arms 50 rather than trunnions 20. The bucket 49 is supported from these arms 50 by suitable flexible cables It will be seen that the head-section 32 may be inserted within the head-section 33 and then rotated and locked in position therein by the bell crank levers 42 as heretofore described. When using a container such as the bucket 49, the block 28 is hoisted to the elevated position indicated in Fig. 6 where it will not interfere with the bucket. It will be understood that a large variety of other types of containers may be utilized, these containers being provided with suitable attachment head-sections for cooperation with the head-section 32.

Although a particular embodiment of the invention has been shown and described in some detail for purposes of illustration, there is no intention to thereby limit the invention to such embodiment but, on the other hand, the appended claims are intended to cover all modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a material handling system, a demountable material container attachment head com-' prising, generally annular head-sections arranged in telescoping relation, and means including an annular integral collar on one of said head-sections having laterally extending portions adapted to be moved into and out of complemental grooves disposed at spaced points on the other of said head-sections upon relative rotation thereof for detachably maintaining said head-sections in assembled relation as a unitary structure.

2. In a material handling system, a demountable material container attachment head comprising, generally annular head-sections arranged in telescoping relation, and means. including projections on one of said head-sections adapted to be moved into and out of complemental grooves on the other of said head-sections upon relative rotation thereof for detachably maintainingsaid head-sections in assembled relation as a unitary structure.

3. In a material handling system, a demountable material container attachment head comprising, generally annular head-sectionsarranged in telescoping relation, means including projections on one of said head-sections adapted to be moved into and out of complemental grooves formed in bifurcated spaced projections on the other of said head-sections upon relative rotation thereof for detachably maintaining said head-sections in assembled relation as a unitary structure, and means including levers pivoted on said head-section movable into and out of the openings in said bifurcated projections for locking said head-sections against relative rotation, said levers being provided with manual operating handles operable to move the same into and out of locking position and to rotate said one headsection.

4. In a material handling apparatus, a clamshell bucket including a pair of shells pivotally connected to a central counterweight, an associated operating tackle including a vertically movable pulley, means including interfitting projections on said counterweight and pulley for detachably connecting the same in operative relation, and means for releasably locking said projections against disengagement.

5. In a material handling apparatus, a clamshell bucket including a pair of shells. pivotally connected to a central counterweight, as associated operating tackle including a vertically movable pulley, means including interfitting projections on said counterweight and pulley movable rotatively into and out of engagement for detachably connecting the same in operative relation, means for releasably locking said projections against inadvertent relative rotation, an attachment head having an aperture therein accommodating said pulley for vertical movement therethrough and means for operatively connecting said shell and said head.

CHARLES S, JOHNSON. 

